Northwoods New Year 2010

Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
Tasted Sunday, December 27, 2009 - Sunday, January 3, 2010 by vanpe003 with 1,220 views

Introduction

Another year in a great tradition of spending New Year's up in Northern Wisconsin with friends. Skiing, hanging out, eating and drinking with the FBM clan. Too many wines to remember them well, so the notes in this batch are a bit suspect in terms of detail. Also don't have any notes for a whole bunch of champagnes that FBM opened up. A shame, as they were all generally quite nice. The wines below were consumed over a week, and with the exception of the 1st flight and the last, I grouped by "type" rather than order of consumption.

Flight 1 - First Night Reds (4 Notes)

A pretty remarkable bunch of wines given that they were selected somewhat randomly for the first night in camp. The Benton Lane was a particular surprise, drinking much better now than it did a couple years ago. The Hansel and Tablas Creek were two of the best wines opened all week.

  • 2004 Benton-Lane Pinot Noir 90 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (12/27/2009)

    Probably the best of these I've had. Significantly more depth on the palate. The stems have morphed a bit, giving off notes of pepper on the palate. In retrospect, I wish I would have saved more of these, as this is my last bottle and I think it is at or near it's prime.

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  • 2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (12/28/2009)

    Initially the same tartness as a prior bottle, but that quickly resolves after about 20 minutes in the glass. Very well balanced for current drinking, but lacks the depth or complexity for a "wow" or a higher score.

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  • 2002 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The Three Rows 94 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (12/28/2009)

    My score can be summed up by two words - mouth feel. Smooth, lush, and thick. At the same time, the flavor profiles are not over-the-top or cloying. Too much going on in the kitchen of our small cabin to make any meaningful comments on the nose. On the palate, relatively dark Pinot fruit, little if any overt acidity. Long finish. At least for me, this wine is at it's apex for current drinking. For my palate and from memory, this is one of the top 10 pinots I've had.

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  • 2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie 94 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    (12/28/2009)

    I can't really speak to the nose on this, as I sit in our small cabin where the aromas from the kitchen overpower everything in their path. However, without any detail, there seems to be a lot coming out from the top of the glass, dark fruits on the nose, just can't pick out individual notes. On the palate, rich and for me a surprise as to it's approachability. There's a bit of a slightly sour lift on the midpalate (Grenache influence?) and fine tannins on a 30 second finish. I only get one bottle of this every year. If I had more, I'd probably opt to hold for 24-36 months.

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Flight 2 - Champagnes (7 Notes)

Usually the highlight of this New Years tradition, this year was no exception. The Taittinger and Philipponnat were the two best, but most everything was very, very good and in some ways it is a matter of taste to declare a winner. The Scharffenberger was quite nice, and a very good QPR, but did not stand up to the rest of the Champagnes served, whether those listed below or the ones I've omitted.

Flight 3 - Random Reds (4 Notes)

WOTF - Fox Creek.

  • 1999 Fox Creek Shiraz Reserve 92 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

    (12/30/2009)

    For those that like a largely resolved wine that is nevertheless still youthful, this is drinking very well at present. The palate is an intersting blend of coffee, chocolate and spice all of which carry to a very long finish. Some tannins do come out after some time in the glass. I have yet to try a Fox Creek Reserve I didn't like, especially with a little age on the bottle. Good QPR at $25.

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  • 1998 Malvira' Roero Superiore 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero Superiore

    (12/30/2009)

    This bottle had a very aromatic and enjoyable nose. Maybe slightly less complexity on the palate than last time around. On the other hand, it was G's favorite of the night, and the 1st bottle drained.

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  • 2004 Glaymond Wines Grenache Gerhard 88 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    (12/30/2009)

    Popped/poured next to another French grenache. Yuck. This didn't compare well at all. More like a thin Shiraz. Much better the second day after it had a chance to round out. Still...this is more like a Shiraz than it is an Old World grenache, so buyer/drinker beware.

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  • 2004 Clot de l'Oum Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany La Compagnie des Papillons 88 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany

    (12/30/2009)

    Peppery fruit, with a little less depth than I would prefer. Somewhat rustic, country styling. Did not come across to me as "silky", a word I used in a prior note. Good for what it is.

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Flight 4 - New Year's Eve Reds (6 Notes)

Mostly Cabernets with the exception of the 2002 Jarvis. For me, the Dalla Valle was the WOTF on Day 1. The 2002 Jarvis evolved nicely overnight, and drank quite well the second day.

  • 1991 Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/31/2009)

    Initially very nice example of aged Cali cab, but seemed to shut down pretty hard after being opened for a couple hours.

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  • 1999 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/31/2009)

    No detailed notes. Recall this being a very nice wine that could probably use a little more time to fully soften and round out rough edges.

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  • 1994 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    (12/31/2009)

    Opened a bit thin and funky on the nose initially. After 6-7 hours opened (not decanted), the funk blew off and palate added some weight / elegance. A nice example of what a somewhat "traditional" California wine shows with some age.

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  • 2002 Jarvis (California) Winery Lake William 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/31/2009)

    I thought this was just "ok" on Day 1 (88-90 pts), where it suffered a bit in comparison to some cabs with slightly more age. In comparison, this seemed rather bright and not quite integrated. Day 2 was a different story. This picked up a lot of aromatics on the nose with some interesting florals. On the palate, much more rich and integrated. A nice wine that needs either time or air.

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  • 1997 Jarvis (California) Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/31/2009)

    Not quite as rich or elegant as the 1999 Dalla Valle also served, but the #2 bottle of the 4 that I opened.

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  • 1999 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    (12/31/2009)

    The best of the reds, at least the ones I brought, for New Years Eve. Fully integrated, great depth of fruit and flavors, no rough edges. Opened for 6 hours prior to consuming.

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Flight 5 - Random Whites (2 Notes)

I brought a whole bunch of whites up, but we drank scant few of these. Too much Champagne I guess!

  • 1990 Schloss Schönborn Riesling Spätlese

    Germany, Rheingau

    (12/31/2009)

    One of the last bottles on New Year's Eve, consumed around a camp fire. No detailed notes at all. Struck me as a nicely aged Riesling, but nothing "out of this world". Probably around 90 points, give or take.

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  • 2005 Domaine Matrot Puligny-Montrachet La Quintessence 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

    (12/30/2009)

    Decanted this time around, with favorable results. The decant served to take the bite out of the acidity and smooth this out on the palate. Otherwise, similar to prior notes.

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Flight 6 - Bill's House (2 Notes)

Over to the neighbors for a couple glasses of wine out of Bill's northwoods wine glasses (recycled Kraft cheese bottles). It did lend a certain amount of romance re: the Great White North, but probably wasn't the ideal wine experience, particularly as relates to the '93 Penfolds Grange!

  • 2003 Château Olivier 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    (1/2/2010)

    No detailed notes, but I liked this one more than the other reviewers. Rustic, chewy, seems ready to drink. Out of a Cheeze Whiz jar, which constitutes Bill's wine glass collection up North, this was a pleasant wine on a pleasant evening.

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  • 1993 Penfolds Grange

    Australia, South Australia

    (1/1/2010)

    No detailed notes. On the palate, seemed to be drinking well within the window, largely resolved tannins, etc.

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